Dennis Eckersley

Pitcher · Career Stats, Hall of Fame Bio & Records (1975-1998)

Dennis Eckersley was a pitcher who played in Major League Baseball from 1975 to 1998 for 5 teams, including the Cleveland Guardians, a span of 24 seasons. Across 1,071 career appearances, he went 197-171 with a 3.50 ERA, 2,401 strikeouts, and 390 saves. Dennis Eckersley was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004 and was a 6-time All-Star, an MVP, a Cy Young, an ALCS MVP, and a 2-time Reliever of the Year. His career Pitcher PIV — Baseball Data Hub's era-adjusted measure of pitching impact — is 41139.1.

W (Wins):
Games credited to a pitcher whose team took a lead it never surrendered while he was the pitcher of record.
ERA (Earned Run Average):
Earned runs allowed per nine innings pitched: (ER × 9) ÷ IP. The primary measure of pitching effectiveness.
SO (Strikeouts):
For a batter, times retired on a third strike; for a pitcher, batters retired on a third strike.
WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched):
Baserunners allowed per inning: (BB + H) ÷ IP. Under 1.00 is elite.

Data updated

⭐ Hall of Fame 2004
W–L 197–171
ERA 3.50
WHIP 1.16
SO 2,401
Pitcher PIV 41139.1
Position
Pitcher
Bats / Throws
R / R
Height / Weight
6'2" / 190 lb
Born
10/3/1954 in Oakland, CA, USA
MLB Debut
1975-04-12
Last Game
1998-09-26
Hall of Fame
Inducted 2004 (BBWAA)
Awards
6× All-Star · MVP · Cy Young · ALCS MVP · 2× Reliever of the Year

Full name: Dennis Lee Eckersley

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Career Pitching Statistics

Dennis Eckersley — Career Pitching Statistics
W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER HR BB SO ERA Pitcher PIV
197 171 1,071 361 100 20 390 3285.2 3,076 1,278 347 738 2,401 3.50 41139.1

Career ERA 3.50 vs. league average 3.99 across their career seasons — 12.3% better than league average.

Season-by-Season Pitching

Pitching Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Dennis Eckersley Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg W L G GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB SO ERA Lg ERA Pitcher PIV
1975 CLE AL 13 7 34 24 6 2 2 186.2 147 54 90 152 2.60 3.71 (+30%) 382.6
1976 CLE AL 13 12 36 30 9 3 1 199.1 155 76 78 200 3.43 3.51 (+2%) 4105.0
1977 CLE AL 14 13 33 33 12 3 0 247.1 214 97 54 191 3.53 4.00 (+12%) 2831.0
1978 BOS AL 20 8 35 35 16 3 0 268.1 258 89 71 162 2.99 3.69 (+19%) -106.6
1979 BOS AL 17 10 33 33 17 2 0 246.2 234 82 59 150 2.99 4.00 (+25%) 1083.1
1980 BOS AL 12 14 30 30 8 0 0 197.2 188 94 44 121 4.28 3.84 (-11%) -141.3
1981 BOS AL 9 8 23 23 8 2 0 154.0 160 73 35 79 4.27 3.58 (-19%) 2022.7
1982 BOS AL 13 13 33 33 11 3 0 224.1 228 93 43 127 3.73 3.86 (+3%) -670.9
1983 BOS AL 9 13 28 28 2 0 0 176.1 223 110 39 77 5.61 3.87 (-45%) -3374.5
1984 BOS AL 4 4 9 9 2 0 0 64.2 71 36 13 33 5.01 3.81 (-31%) -964.2
1984 CHN NL 10 8 24 24 2 0 0 160.1 152 54 36 81 3.03 3.81 (+20%) 1709.4
1985 CHN NL 11 7 25 25 6 2 0 169.1 145 58 19 117 3.08 3.89 (+21%) 4598.6
1986 CHN NL 6 11 33 32 1 0 0 201.0 226 102 43 137 4.57 3.97 (-15%) 2720.5
1987 OAK AL 6 8 54 2 0 0 16 115.2 99 39 17 113 3.03 4.29 (+29%) 4799.9
1988 OAK AL 4 2 60 0 0 0 45 72.2 52 19 11 70 2.35 3.73 (+37%) 2768.2
1989 OAK AL 4 0 51 0 0 0 33 57.2 32 10 3 55 1.56 3.71 (+58%) 2216.9
1990 OAK AL 4 2 63 0 0 0 48 73.1 41 5 4 73 0.61 3.86 (+84%) 4700.3
1991 OAK AL 5 4 67 0 0 0 43 76.0 60 25 9 87 2.96 3.91 (+24%) 2062.2
1992 OAK AL 7 1 69 0 0 0 51 80.0 62 17 11 93 1.91 3.75 (+49%) 4116.3
1993 OAK AL 2 4 64 0 0 0 36 67.0 67 31 13 80 4.16 4.19 (+1%) 2649.8
1994 OAK AL 5 4 45 0 0 0 19 44.1 49 21 13 47 4.26 4.51 (+6%) 1216.2
1995 OAK AL 4 6 52 0 0 0 29 50.1 53 27 11 40 4.83 4.45 (-8%) 1183.1
1996 SLN NL 0 6 63 0 0 0 30 60.0 65 22 6 49 3.30 4.61 (+28%) 1274.6
1997 SLN NL 1 5 57 0 0 0 36 53.0 49 23 8 45 3.91 4.39 (+11%) 274.3
1998 BOS AL 4 1 50 0 0 0 1 39.2 46 21 8 22 4.76 4.43 (-8%) -318.3
Career · 25 seasons 197 171 1,071 361 100 20 390 3,285.2 3,076 1,278 738 2,401 3.50 — 41,139

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Career Batting Statistics

Dennis Eckersley — Career Batting Statistics
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG OBP SLG OPS PIV
1,073 181 9 24 3 0 3 12 0 9 84 .133 .173 .199 .372 -1,377

Career AVG .133 vs. league average .261 across their career seasons — 49.2% below league average.

Career OBP .173 vs. league average .328 across their career seasons — 47.3% below league average.

Career SLG .199 vs. league average .394 across their career seasons — 49.5% below league average.

Career OPS .372 vs. league average .722 across their career seasons — 48.5% below league average.

Season-by-Season Batting

Career Arc

Click a stat to plot it across every season.

Dennis Eckersley Stats, Bio & Career Records
Year Team Lg G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB BB SO AVG Lg AVG Lg OBP Lg SLG Lg OPS PIV
1975 CLE AL 34 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1976 CLE AL 36 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1977 CLE AL 34 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1978 BOS AL 35 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1979 BOS AL 33 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1980 BOS AL 30 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1981 BOS AL 23 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1982 BOS AL 33 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1983 BOS AL 28 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1984 BOS AL 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1984 CHN NL 24 55 1 6 0 0 0 1 0 1 25 .109 .259 (-58%) .322 (-61%) .384 (-72%) .707 (-67%) 0.0
1985 CHN NL 26 56 1 7 0 0 1 1 0 7 25 .125 .257 (-51%) .323 (-31%) .390 (-54%) .714 (-44%) -376.8
1986 CHN NL 33 69 7 11 3 0 2 10 0 1 34 .159 .257 (-38%) .325 (-48%) .395 (-27%) .720 (-36%) -429.6
1987 OAK AL 54 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1988 OAK AL 60 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1989 OAK AL 51 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1990 OAK AL 63 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1991 OAK AL 67 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1992 OAK AL 69 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1993 OAK AL 64 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1994 OAK AL 45 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1995 OAK AL 52 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1996 SLN NL 63 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1997 SLN NL 57 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
1998 BOS AL 50 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 — — — — 0.0
Career · 25 seasons 1,073 181 9 24 3 0 3 12 0 9 84 .133 — — — — -806

Lg columns show the league average for that season, with the player's figure as a percentage above or below it. Career totals the seasons listed above.

Postseason Statistics

Playoff Career Batting

Dennis Eckersley — Playoff Career Batting
G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
28 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000

Playoff Batting by Year

Dennis Eckersley — Playoff Batting by Year
Year Round Team G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG
1998 ALDS1 BOS 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1996 NLCS SLN 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1996 NLDS2 SLN 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1992 ALCS OAK 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1990 ALCS OAK 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1990 WS OAK 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1989 ALCS OAK 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1989 WS OAK 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1988 ALCS OAK 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1988 WS OAK 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
1984 NLCS CHN 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000

Playoff Career Pitching

Dennis Eckersley — Playoff Career Pitching
W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1 3 28 1 15 36.0 35 12 3 22 3.00

Playoff Pitching by Year

Dennis Eckersley — Playoff Pitching by Year
Year Round Team W L G GS SV IP H ER BB SO ERA
1998 ALDS1 BOS 0 0 1 0 0 1.0 1 1 0 1 9.00
1996 NLCS SLN 1 0 3 0 1 3.1 2 0 0 4 0.00
1996 NLDS2 SLN 0 0 3 0 3 3.2 3 0 0 2 0.00
1992 ALCS OAK 0 0 3 0 1 3.0 8 2 0 2 6.00
1990 ALCS OAK 0 0 3 0 2 3.1 2 0 0 3 0.00
1990 WS OAK 0 1 2 0 0 1.1 3 1 0 1 6.75
1989 ALCS OAK 0 0 4 0 3 5.2 4 1 0 2 1.59
1989 WS OAK 0 0 2 0 1 1.2 0 0 0 0 0.00
1988 ALCS OAK 0 0 4 0 4 6.0 1 0 2 5 0.00
1988 WS OAK 0 1 2 0 0 1.2 2 2 1 2 10.80
1984 NLCS CHN 0 1 1 1 0 5.1 9 5 0 0 8.44

Game Log & Splits

View full game log (2144 games) →

Per-game data from Retrosheet (regular season, through 2025).

Batting — Home / Away

Dennis Eckersley — Batting — Home / Away
SplitGABRHHRRBIAVG
Home5527379310.123
Away52110821502.139

Pitching — Home / Away

Dennis Eckersley — Pitching — Home / Away
SplitGIPHERBBSOERA
Home5521673.0159066736913063.59
Away5191612.2148661236910953.42

Last 10 Games — Pitching

Dennis Eckersley — Last 10 Games — Pitching
DateTmOppDecIPHRERBBSOHR
1998-09-26 BOSBAL — 1.0111021
1998-09-24 BOSBAL — 0.2111001
1998-09-20 BOSCHW — 0.0211000
1998-09-17 BOSBAL W 1.0000000
1998-09-16 BOSBAL — 0.2000000
1998-09-13 BOSDET — 0.1000000
1998-09-11 BOSDET — 1.0100100
1998-09-09 BOSNYY — 1.0000010
1998-09-07 BOSNYY — 0.2000000
1998-09-06 BOSTOR — 0.1000010

Fielding Statistics

Career Fielding Totals by Position

Dennis Eckersley — Career Fielding Totals by Position
Position G GS PO A E DP
P 1071 361 208 365 31 20

Season-by-Season Fielding

Dennis Eckersley — Season-by-Season Fielding
Year Team Pos G GS PO A E DP
1975 CLE P 34 24 7 12 1 0
1976 CLE P 36 30 9 20 1 1
1977 CLE P 33 33 6 22 2 1
1978 BOS P 35 35 19 29 0 1
1979 BOS P 33 33 12 42 6 3
1980 BOS P 30 30 10 24 3 0
1981 BOS P 23 23 12 19 1 1
1982 BOS P 33 33 21 21 1 2
1983 BOS P 28 28 19 18 1 0
1984 BOS P 9 9 11 11 1 2
1984 CHN P 24 24 16 27 4 1
1985 CHN P 25 25 10 26 3 1
1986 CHN P 33 32 16 28 3 3
1987 OAK P 54 2 4 13 1 0
1988 OAK P 60 0 7 3 0 0
1989 OAK P 51 0 4 4 0 1
1990 OAK P 63 0 3 1 0 0
1991 OAK P 67 0 6 9 0 0
1992 OAK P 69 0 3 10 0 1
1993 OAK P 64 0 0 5 0 0
1994 OAK P 45 0 2 1 0 0
1995 OAK P 52 0 3 5 1 2
1996 SLN P 63 0 3 6 1 0
1997 SLN P 57 0 3 5 0 0
1998 BOS P 50 0 2 4 1 0

Career Games by Position

Position Diamond

Circle size = games played at each position.

Dennis Eckersley Stats, Bio & Career Records
Position Games
Pitcher 1071
Designated Hitter 1

Awards & Honors

Dennis Eckersley — Awards & Honors
Year Award Notes
1992 Cy Young Award
1992 MLB Players Choice Outstanding Player
1992 Most Valuable Player
1992 Reliever of the Year Award
1992 TSN Fireman of the Year
1992 TSN Pitcher of the Year
1991 TSN Fireman of the Year
1988 ALCS MVP
1988 Reliever of the Year Award
1988 TSN Fireman of the Year
1985 Player of the Week Week of 1985-04-19
1978 Player of the Week Week of 1978-09-29
1977 Player of the Week Week of 1977-06-04
1975 TSN Rookie Pitcher of the Year

Salary History

Dennis Eckersley — Salary History
Year Team League Salary
1998 BOS AL $1,500,000
1997 SLN NL $1,625,000
1996 OAK AL $300,000
1996 SLN NL $2,250,000
1995 OAK AL $2,861,113
1994 OAK AL $3,800,000
1993 OAK AL $3,800,000
1992 OAK AL $3,150,000
1991 OAK AL $3,000,000
1990 OAK AL $787,500
1989 OAK AL $1,062,500
1988 OAK AL $650,000
1987 OAK AL $833,333
1986 CHN NL $783,333
1985 CHN NL $750,000
Total Career Earnings $27,152,779

Award Voting History

Dennis Eckersley — Award Voting History
Year Award League Finish Points Won Points Max Votes First
1992 Cy Young Award AL 1st 107.0 140 19
1992 Most Valuable Player AL 1st 306.0 392 15
1990 Cy Young Award AL 5th 2.0 140 0
1990 Most Valuable Player AL 6th 112.0 392 1
1989 Cy Young Award AL 6th 3.0 140 0
1989 Most Valuable Player AL 5th 116.0 392 3
1988 Cy Young Award AL 2nd 52.0 140 1
1988 Most Valuable Player AL 5th 156.0 392 0
1979 Cy Young Award AL 7th 1.0 140 0
1978 Cy Young Award AL 4th 10.0 140 0
1978 Most Valuable Player AL 31th 4.0 392 0

Most Similar Players

Career comps based on counting + rate stats and primary position. Score is relative — closest peer anchors at ~98%.

Career Spans

Dennis Eckersley (highlighted) compared to peers across the same era.

  1. 98
    Ron Reed
    146-140, 3.46 ERA
  2. 95
    Hoyt Wilhelm HOF
    143-122, 2.52 ERA
  3. 95
    Tom Gordon
    138-126, 3.96 ERA
  4. 93
    Lindy McDaniel
    141-119, 3.45 ERA
  5. 93
    Rich Gossage HOF
    124-107, 3.01 ERA
  6. 92
    Rollie Fingers HOF
    114-118, 2.90 ERA

Compare Dennis Eckersley

Side-by-side career stat comparisons against Eckersley's closest peers by position and era.

vs Carl Yastrzemski
vs Mariano Rivera
vs Mark McGwire
vs Hoyt Wilhelm
vs Billy Wagner
vs Rickey Henderson

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See Dennis Eckersley in Another Era

What would Eckersley's 1975 season look like in a different era's run environment? Try the cross-era translation with a live slider.

Translate Dennis Eckersley's peak season across eras →

Dennis Eckersley: the record in brief

Between the debut on April 12, 1975 and the final game on September 26, 1998, Dennis Eckersley built the record summarized on this page. Eckersley played for the Cleveland Indians (1975 through 1977), the Boston Red Sox (1978 to 1998), the Chicago Cubs (1984 to 1986), the Oakland Athletics (1987 to 1995), and the St. Louis Cardinals (1996 through 1997). Born on October 3, 1954, in Oakland, CA, USA, Eckersley is listed as a pitcher and batted and threw right-handed. Size on record: 6'2" and 190 pounds. Eckersley's full given name, per the bio, is Dennis Lee Eckersley.

The pitching table credits Eckersley with a 197-171 record and a 3.50 ERA in 1,071 games. The totals include 2,401 strikeouts, 100 complete games, 20 shutouts, and 390 saves. That 3.50 ERA compares with a 3.99 league average across the same seasons, 12.3% better. No season topped the 20 wins of 1978. 1976 produced Eckersley's most strikeouts, 200. Eckersley saved 51 games in 1992, the season high.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dennis Eckersley

What years did Dennis Eckersley play?
Dennis Eckersley played in Major League Baseball from 1975 to 1998.
Was Dennis Eckersley a pitcher?
Yes. Dennis Eckersley pitched in the major leagues, recording 197 wins and 2401 strikeouts.
How many home runs did Dennis Eckersley hit?
Dennis Eckersley hit 3 career home runs with 24 hits.
Is Dennis Eckersley in the Hall of Fame?
Yes. Dennis Eckersley was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004.
What was Dennis Eckersley's career batting average?
Dennis Eckersley batted .133 over his career, with 24 hits in 181 at bats.
How many RBI did Dennis Eckersley have?
Dennis Eckersley drove in 12 runs in his career.